Scuba Diving thread?

Yeah, Abu Dabbab. We stayed on Coraya Beach but turtles and dugongs are a bit of a rarity up there, so we took a trip out to see them.

If you like Egypt diving, try this place, unlimited house reef diving, two daily dive trips included in the price, plus other dive sites on top, like Elphinstone.

http://www.oonasdivers.com/tours/shagra-and-nakari-villages/

Their website http://www.redsea-divingsafari.com/ is currently down, but it is a fantastic place for diving.
 
Ahh not been diving in ages :( some great pics above and really makes me want to go!
Dived: England (coasts) and lots of reservoirs (for work)
Spain / Canaries
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Australia (East/West/North East)
Mexico

Saudi was by far the best diving :)

Where in Saudi????!

I might have a trip out there again soon.... Had no idea you could dive there. Is it expensive? Are there many clubs/ schools?
 
Where in Saudi????!

I might have a trip out there again soon.... Had no idea you could dive there. Is it expensive? Are there many clubs/ schools?

If you are in Saudi it depends on which side you are on, if you are near Jeddah there are quite a few beaches near the north Jeddah checkpoint, but there is a typical Saudi attention to safety so you have to watch out for Jetskis on the way up.

I was in Al-lith a while back doing some research stuff with the marine scientists out here and that has some amazing reefs, but that is a long way South of Jeddah, probably not a day trip.

The other side of the country I really don't know about though. To be honest its not really expensive at all, you are looking for about 200SAR including equipment rental for three dives and entry fees to the beach.
 
I got my Padi license in Egypt, Naama bay, and it was great, I can wait until I can afford to go again. It was the most amazing experience and i recommend it to everyone that I talk to about it. I took some pictures with a disposable underwater camera but they are not very good and I won't even bother posting them as they are film and scanned etc. If i can find the scans ill post them anyway.
 
Just thought I'd put in a word for my favorite dive location - Rottnest Island, Western Australia. The viz doesn't compare to the red sea, and the water temp is colder (~18 C). But it's just such an interesting location with a great range of wildlife.

The rock around the area is limestone and as a result the place is littered with caves & swimthroughs... and I mean littered. Swimming into a cave usually reveals an entrance to another and another etc. It's awesome to be swimming through these places and have streams of sunlight come through gaps in the rock.

This video sums up the cave situation


Wildlife wise it's pretty varied, it's not unusual to see massive sting rays (1 - 2m), cuttlefish, octopus, sea horses and weedy sea dragons. There is also a spot around the island where grey nurse sharks have claimed a cave of their own, i've only been there twice but it's an awesome experience, here is a video I made when I was there.


So if you come to Perth make sure you go for a dive at Rottnest!
 
after reading this thread i decided to look into doing some scuba as its something ive always been interested in.

only thing is im not a very good swimmer! gonna get down my local pool for some training me thinks.
 
after reading this thread i decided to look into doing some scuba as its something ive always been interested in.

only thing is im not a very good swimmer! gonna get down my local pool for some training me thinks.


You don't need to be a fantastic swimmer to scuba dive.

You have to be able to swim 200m with no time limit and you can use any stoke you want or 300m if you have a mask, snorkel and fins on.
You also have to be able to tread water for 10 mins or so.
 
Just thought I'd put in a word for my favorite dive location - Rottnest Island, Western Australia. The viz doesn't compare to the red sea, and the water temp is colder (~18 C). But it's just such an interesting location with a great range of wildlife.

So if you come to Perth make sure you go for a dive at Rottnest!



Have you done the Busselton Jetty, or the HMS Swan?
 
Got a new Underwater Camera, anyone got any links to decent tutorials on getting great underwater photos?
 
Lots of ways, go on a holiday, say to Egypt, and learn out there, costs around 300-350, and takes 4 or 5 days.

Or you could learn in the UK, find a dive centre, like Stoney Cove near Leicester, and learn there.

Then the fun begins.

I am going to do my Divemaster next year and hopefully do the first of many TDI courses..
 
For me it was something I'd thought about but never done, then I booked a holiday with my Dad and Sister who both dive to Madeira, so thought it was time to give it a go.

Did a 'try-dive' at the local gym, my first underwater breath told me it was something I wanted to do :p Then I did a 'referral' over here, cost £200, and it's basically the boring swimming pool/theory stuff before you get to dive properly, I then finished off the Open Water qualification on the first couple of days of the holiday. And then went on to do the Advanced Open Water bit, and since then my holidays have always been diving ones :)

imo this is the way to go, I agree with going somewhere warm to do the first open water dives, but I wouldn't really want to be doing the boring bits whilst on holiday, best to get them out the way beforehand :)
 
I disagree and would say its better to do the whole thing when you are away

Don't see the point of spending time here in a pool when you can do it abroad in the sun

a lot of places do the pool part in the sea too
 
imo this is the way to go, I agree with going somewhere warm to do the first open water dives, but I wouldn't really want to be doing the boring bits whilst on holiday, best to get them out the way beforehand :)

The boring bits usually last 2 hours in a pool a stones throw from the beach :p.
 
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